Pneumatic liquid-pump



A. F. ENGLES AND 8.]. RAPP.

PNEUMATIC LIQUID PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1919.

Patented Dec. 21,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT FRANCIS ENGLES AND CLARENCE JACOB RAIP, 0F AUBURN, NEBRASKA.

PNEUMATIC LIQUID-PUMP.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALBERT FRANCIS ENGLESand CLARENCE JAoon Barr, citizens of the United States, residing atAuburn, in the county of Nemaha and State of Nebraska, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Liquid- ..Pumps; and wedo declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its principal object to provide an extremelysimple yet highly eflicient pump for pumping water or other liquid byalternately compressing air into and exhausting it from a submergedcasing. A cylinder and piston are provided for this purpose, connectedto the casing by an air pipe, and another object is to make novelprovision for allowing escape of compression from the cylinder and pipebefore starting the vacuum or suction stroke of the piston, and forrelieving the vacuum before the piston travels on its compressionstroke, thus insuring that the full strokes of the piston shall bedevoted to suction and compression respectively.

lVith the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed,reference being made to the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of a pumpconstructed in accord ance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the piston on its suction stroke.

Fig. 3 illustrates in diagram the manner in which the vacuum is relievedwhen the piston reaches the end of its suction stroke.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing" the piston on its compressionstroke.

In the drawing above briefly described, we have shown the inventionassociated with a well 1 but it may be used in connection with bodies ofliquid otherwise contained. A casing 2 is submerged in the liquid 3 andis provided with an inlet having an inwardly opening check valve 4,while an outlet pipe 5 leads from said casing and is provided with adownwardly closing check valve 6. The pipe 5 preferably extends throughthe top of the casing 2 and has its lower end positioned near the bottomof said casing, while the upper end of said pipe extends to any suitablelocation and may be provided with a discharge neck 7. A pump yet to bedescribed is provided for alternately exhausting the air from the casing2 and compressing air into said casing. When the air is exhausted, thecasing fills with liquid through the check valve at and when compressiontakes place valve 4 closes and valve 6 opens, whereby the liquid isdischarged from the pipe 5. When suction is next created in the casing2, the valve 6 remains closed and traps a column of liquid in the pipe5, while the casing is again filling.

A cylinder 8 is mounted at any suitable location and an air pipe 9 leadsto the top of the casing 2 from a point 10 spaced from one end of saidcylinder. A piston 11 operates within the cylinder 8 and on one strokeserves to compress air into the casing 2, while its other strokeexhausts the air from such casing. As the piston moves on itscompression stroke as indicated in Fig. 4, air is forced from thecylinder 8 through the pipe 9, but whensaid piston nears the end of itsstroke it travels over the end 10 of the pipe 9 and closes such end. Itis then necessary that means other than the pipe 9 be provided fordischarging the compressed air from the cylinder, and to obtain thisresult, we provide a branch 12 leading to said pipe 9 from the end ofthe cylinder. While the end of the pipe 9 is closed by the piston 11,the compressed air escapes from the cylinder through the branch 12 andtravels into the casing 2. The compressed air thus entering the casing2, discharges the liquid therefrom and when the piston 11 moves beyondand uncovers the end 10 of the pipe 9, the compression in said pipe andin the casin 2 is relieved, so that an equilibrium 0 pressure exists inthe casing and cylinder. When now the piston starts on its returnstroke, it exhausts air from the casing 2 through the pipe 9 and branch12, thus allowing the casing 2 to again fill with liquid. The suctionstroke of the piston is indicated in Fig. 2 and when said piston hasreached the limit of said stroke as illustrated in Fig. 3, it uncoversan air inlet port 13, whereupon atmospheric air may enter the cylinderand the piping to relieve the vacuum in the entire system. The pistonnow travels on another compression stroke as seen in Fig. 4: and theoperation above described is repeated.

Particular attention is directed to the location of the point 10 atwhich the pipeline 9 communicates with the cylinder 8, and to theprovision of the branch 12, since without such an arrangement, thecompression in the system would not be relieved before the suctionstroke of the piston, and consequently the full stroke of said pistonwould not be devoted to exhausting air from the casing 2 and thepipe-line. The air inlet port 13 is also an important feature sincewithout its use, the vacuum in the system would not be relieved prior tothe compression stroke of the piston and consequently compressionwouldnot take place throughout the length of such stroke.

Any adequate means could be provided for operating the piston 11 but forillustrative purposes we have shown it connected by a piston rod 14with-a cross-head 15 operated by a pitman 16 from a wrist pin 17. Thiswrist pin is shown carried by a wheel 18 which may be driven by anysuitable means such as a belt 19.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that we have provided a pneumaticpump of 6X- treme simplicity, yet one which will be highly eflicient andin every way desirable.

Few moving parts are used and consequently' there is little danger ofthe apparatus becoming disabled as is often the case with machines ofmore complicated nature. Since probably the best results may be obtainedfrom the general association of parts as shown, this arrangement may befollowed, but within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerousminor changes may well be made.

We claim:

In a pneumatic liquid pump, a submerged casing having a liquid inlet anda liquid outlet each provided with a check valve, a cylinder, an airpipe leading to said cas' ing from said cylinder and communicating withthe latter at a point spaced from one end thereof, a combined aircompressing and air exhausting piston operating in said.

cylinder, said piston being movable across and beyond the end of saidair pipe on its compression stroke, a branch from the aforesaid end ofthe cylinder into said pipe for conducting compressed air from theformer while the end of said pipe is closed by the piston, and an airinlet into said cylinder opened by the piston at the end of its suctionstroke for relieving the vacuum in the system.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ALBERT FRANCISENGLES.

CLARENCE JACOB RAPP.

